In March, Lyft began testing a monthly subscription plan for select high-frequency users, and today the company announced that a version of this plan will now be available to everyone in the United States by the end of the week. Called the "All-Access Plan," passengers will be able to pay upfront every 30 days, locking in a set price for their rides and not having to pay out for each individual Lyft trip.

Subscribers of the All-Access Plan will get 30 rides (for up to $15 each) for a monthly fee of $299, and can cancel their plan anytime. If a ride goes over $15, subscribers will have to pay the difference. If the 30 ride limit is exceeded, Lyft will offer five percent off additional rides. Additionally, unused rides will not roll over to the following monthly pay period.

During its test, Lyft tried out plans that cost $200/month, $300/month, and $400/month for different amount of rides and incentives, but it appears that the company landed on $299/month as the sweet spot. At the time, Lyft CEO Logan Green discussed the subscription plan tests, saying, "We are going to move the entire industry from one based on ownership to one based on subscription."

In today's press release, Lyft says the nationwide rollout of the All-Access Plan is the first step toward "delivering on our goal of making car ownership optional."

When you spend less time driving (and parking), you have more freedom — and more savings. Americans who use the All-Access Plan for all of their personal car needs can save up to 59%* per month compared to owning a car.

This is the first step toward delivering on our goal of making car ownership optional, and we’re constantly looking for more ways to provide passengers with the easiest, most convenient options possible.

Lyft launches its subscription plan after rival Uber trialed its own similar monthly subscription payments in 2016, without following up with a full launch. Lyft has also partnered with Google's Waymo "to bring autonomous vehicle technology into the mainstream."

Top Rated Comments

So this is targeted to people that don't have cars? Just getting to/from work is 40 rides/month (average). Then add in getting around for shopping/dinner/etc. How much are these people spending each month instead of just getting a car?

This only makes sense if your average ride is more than $10 and less tha $15. If your ride is less than $10 you’re paying too much. If your ride is more than $15 there is no savings. It reminds me of the rental car option of prepaying for a full tank of gas, which is almost never a benefit to the renter.

I thought about that, and surely it's more than a car payment, but then factor in insurance, gas and maintenance (oil changes at a minimum and tires + repairs on older cars) plus parking costs that many have to pay, then it starts to blur which is the better choice. Of course, convenience of having a car is worth quite a bit to most.

(Edit: I see others responded basically the same thing at the same time as I did!)

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